Highway guard



Dec. 27, 1932.

w. w. RUSSELL HIGHWAY GUARD Filed Feb. 15, 1932 ATTORNEY.

-Patented Dec. 27, 1932 v UNITED STATES WALLACE w. RUSSELL, on KansasCITY, mrssonnr HIGHWAY GUARD Application filed February 15, 1932. SerialNo. 592,916.

My invention relates to highway uards and more particularly to those ofthat c aracter employing wire cables supported on posts located atsuitable intervals along a highway,

and has for its principal object to rovide re-' silient supports for thecables whic will yield under impact of a vehicle and then spring back toreturn the cables to their normal taut condition, thereby tending toabsorb the shock 0 of the impact and to deflect the vehicle back ontothe'highway. I

Another important feature of the invention is to support the wire cablesfrom their posts in such a manner that the shock of collision will bedistributed throughout the length of the cables.

It is also an important object of the invention to retain the cables inspaced relation with theirQsupporting posts to prevent a vebw hicle fromdirectly striking the posts in case of collision, thereby reducingthepossibility of broken wheels or serious damage to the vehicle. l

Another important feature of the invention 5 is to support the cables insuch a manner that they may be individually tensioned at selectivepoints throughout their len h.

In accomplishing these and ot er objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein 1 I Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a highway guard constructed in accordance withmy'in- 5 vention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of one of t ecable-supporting posts, illustrating the shock-absorbing brackets forflexibly mounting and tensioning the cables.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the post illustrating theattachment of t e bracketsthereto.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modified 'form 145 of resilient brackeFig. 5 is a perspective view of a further modified form of theinvention.

Refering more in detail to the drawing:

1 designates a highway protected by a guard 2 constructed 1n accordance,with my invention, and which comprises a plurality of posts 3 located atsuitable intervals along the side of a roadway. Supported by the postsis a plurality of parallelly extending wire cables 45 having their endsanchored to rods 6-7 anchored to suitable dead men (not; shown). y

In order to secure and s ace the cables from the posts, I provide exiblebrackets generally designated 8 and which include pairs of substantiallysemi-circular members 9-10 preferably formed of sprin metal andbent'into the curvature as best ilfustrated in Fig. 3, to providecontact portions 11 for tangentially seating against the posts and simlar forwardly extending portions 12 for seating the cables.

Each pair of members 9-10 is tied to- 'ether by a' U-bolt 13 having itshorizontal bar 14 extending through and engaging the inner side of themember 9 and its leg por-. tions 15-16 overlying the ends of bothmembers, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. Sleeved on the threaded ends 17of the legs 1516 and engaging the inner arcuate face of the memher 10 isa keeper plate 19 adapted to be retained in clamping engagementtherewith by nuts 20 threaded onto the ends of the legs. The members 910are thus retained in desired spaced relation with their free endsextending in opposite directions and in engagement with the sides of theposts. The outer portions 12 of the bracket members form substantiallyV-shaped seat portions 21 there:- between to accommodate bight portions22 formed in the cables whereby the cable may be drawn taut andtensioned between the dead men. In order toform and retain the bights inthe cables, I provide J-bolts 23 having hooked ends 24 engaging over thecable and having their shanks 25 rojected throu h openings 26 in theposts. he shanks of t e bolts are of sufiicient length to projectentirely through the post to accommodate washers 27 and nuts 28, wherebythe bolts may be adjusted to draw the bights in the cable between thespring members 9 and 10,

It is obvious that there may be any number of cables. However, I findthat two cables are suflicient to deflect a vehicle back onto the 9posts, a cable supported by .said posts, substantially semi-circularresilient members having end portions tangentially engaging the postsand end portions engaging against the cable, means securing the memberstogether, and tensioning means extending through the posts and en agingthe cable at points between said mem ers to tension the cable.

7. A highway guard comprising spaced posts, cables associated with saidposts, a pair of substantially semi-circular resilient members for eachpost and having end portions tangentially engaging the posts and endportions engaging against the cable, U-bolts securing the memberstogether to form a seat therebetween, and means extending through theposts and engaging the cable to draw the cable into said seat to tensionthe cable.

8. A highway guard including spaced sup-- ports, a cable carried by saidsupports, resilient means for spacing the cable from the supports, andmeans for drawing the cable over said resilient means toward thesupports to tension the cable and to anchor the cable to the supports.

In testimony whereof I affix my si WALLACE W. RUS

ature.

